Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-25
TIT FOR TAT.

! neither too young nor too old, had risen
one morning and was sitting undressed
on a chair in his bedroom. His minister
of the household stood before him holding
the royal stockings, one OF which had a
great hole in the toe. Now although the
I minister presented the hose as adroitly As
possible. in order to hide that sad defect
from the eyes Of the king. and although
the king in a general way thought more
of shining boots than of mended stock
ingS, il So happened that in the present
instance the hole did catch the royal eye.
The monarch snatched at the stocking, TO
the horror Of his minister, AMI plunging
his hand right into it till his finger with
the signet ring appeared through the hole
at the other end he said, with a dolorous
sigh:
1t is all very well for me to be king,
but l am sadly in want OF queen. Now
what should You say if l married.
Your majesty" said the minister,
''this is wise and noble thought. should
for the certain anticipation that it could
not fail sooner or later 10 flash sponta
neously upon the royal mind.
/ THAT is settled thea said the king.
I But do you think l shall easily find a
suitable queen:"
Not doubt of it, said the minister.
/ "Ah. but you must remember that an,
! not so easily satisfied If princess is 10
please me she must he both lovely and
wise. md then there is a special point |
/ am afraid ! shall think much of. Iou
know how love apple fritters. and there
isn't cook in the kingdom who knows
/ how TO make them--to my liking, that is:
neither too pale nor Yet too brown, but
/ just nice and crisp. Ii marry a wife she
must certainly know how to make apple
! frittersr'
The minister in his heart was dismayed,
but he recovered himself sufficiently TO
/ say, with suitable assurance:
Il am morally convinced that your
majesty will readily find a princess who
/ knows all about apple fritters, and who,
moreover, will I've happy TO make them. -
Then let us look for her." said the
king; and that very day he set out with
| his minister to visit such of the neighbor
ing kings as had princeSses TO give away,
but there were only three royal maidens
/ sufficiently lovely and wise to please the
king. and Of these none had learned how
TO make apple fritters.
Il do not know much about apple frit-
I tiers. unfortunately, said the first princess
when the king proffered his inquiry, but
1 can make nice little cheese cakes. Don t
You think that viii do"
NO" said the king; Il have particu-
lar liking for apple fritters."
The second princess was not nearly so
obliging. and said. disdainfully: Get
along with your nonsense, | never heard
of princess being asked about apple frit-
ters.i
But il was the third princess who
proved TOO much for the king. and she was
the loveliest and wisest of the three. She
did not even wait for his question, but
/ asked Lin coolly if he understood beating
the kettledrum. And when he said he
did not she would not listen 10 a word OF
his suit She was sorry, she said, but she
had a particular fancy for the kettledrum,
and had quite settled in her mind that she
would never marry king who was not a
proficient upon that instrument.
Thereupon the king drove home with
his minister. and alighting on his door
step he said, rather meekly, I'VE must
hope, then, To get on without queen
However king in the long run cannot
manage by himself. and when some weeks
had passed he sent for his minister and
told him he had given up the idea of
apple fritters and he thought he might
be very happy with the first of those
royal maidens they had visited: that one
who can make cheese cakes he said.
Go and ask her 10 come and lie my
queen"
But the minister returned from his mis-
sion with the disappointing news that this
obliging princess was no longer To he had
Sha had Sipra married the liDu ,f tho
country where capers grow.
Then 60 and ask the second princess"
But this also proved fruitless mission.
The old king had told the minister it was
too late now, because his daughter had
died. else no doubt she might have been
found willing
The king grew thoughtful and consid-
cred long. But since il was plain he
must have queen. he resolved at last To
send his minister To the third princess
perhaps she had changed her mind. And
the minister had TO 90, although he felt
almost certain il was useless errand, his
own wife having assured him that. as far as
her experience went, princesses were apt
TO keep to their opinions. The king
awaited the minister's return rather
anNiously. He remembered about the
kettledrum. and thought il yexatious
But the third princess received the mill
lister quite graciously, saying ii was true
she had set her heart on marrying a king
who could beat the kcttledrum. But
ideals did not realize, and since the king
otherwise seemed an honest sort of man
she would waive the point and accept him
as her husband
Thereupon the minister dashed back at
full speed Of his horses. The king en-
braced him AMI said he should have all
the stars and garters Of the kingdom.
From every window in the palace a flag
soon was waving and garlands were hung
about the streets to grace the wedding,
which was solemuized with unheard of
splcndor.
And for a year and day the king and
his young queen lived in happiest concord.
The king never thought about apple frit-
tiers and the queen appeared to have for
gotten about the Lettledrum.
One day, however, the king, rising
early, got ont Of bed with the wrong leg,
and things took to going wrong in conse-
quence.
1t was pouring wet day to begin with,
and when the king looked out of the win
dow his crown DR. opped, and was brought
back TO him witt great dent init; pres
emily the court painter arrived with the |
new map of the kingdom, and when the !
king examined it he. found the frontiers |
had been col0red red instead Of blue, as he |
had ordered; and. finally, the queen sent |
word she had a headache.
And thus ii happened that the royal |
couple fell out for the first time, for what |
reason they could not tell themselves, or
if they could they would not. But for n